Machine-gun belt.



Patented Oct 23, 1917.

`tions and pockets or 4woven material have been FRANK R. BATCHELDER, OF WORCESTER,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL 'PATIEIIVIS COMPANY,.`A CORPORATION 0F RHODE ISLAND.

MACHINE-GUN BELT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

Application filed December 26, 1916. Serial No. 138,721.

To all wlw/n, t ma?) conferir Be it known that l., FRANK BA'rcnnnnini, a citizen of the United States, residing at lforcestor, in the county of Wol-cester,

State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machine-Gun Belts, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Heretofore, i'n practice, machine-gun belts or cartridge-conveyers having the bodyporloops thereof made of provided with metal (usually brass) endpieces termed handleswhich are utilized to facilitate the insertion of the leadin'g end of a belt into a gun. The use of metal attachments or fittings is undesirable for several reasons, including the matter of cost, the cost being considerable in the case of brass.

The general objects of my invention are, irst, toprovide a woven machine-gun belt with a better handle than those heretofore known, and secondly to render. the use of metal handles unnecessary.

. Broadly stated, my invention comprises a machine-gun belt or conveyer having the body thereof of woven material and provided with an end-extension constituting a non-metallic handle or leader; that is to say, presenting no exposed metal. More specitiy cally, the invention comprises a machine gun belt or conveyer provided with a handle or leader formed Aof an end-extension of the body-portion of the belt, the said handle or leader comprising a plurality of woven lay ers, strips, or plies, which are continuous with the said body-portion, with their niarginal portions inwardly-tucked or infolded and secured between the outer surfaces, forming a handle or leader of relatively reduced width'.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is represented in the drawings, in which latter,

Figure machine-gun ment.

1 is a face view of portions of a belt containing such embodi- Fig. 2 is a side view of portions of a belt like that of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a face View of a part of the handle of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. l is a view in section on line 4L, 4,' of FiO. 3.

the said plies or layers,

Fig. is a view on the order of a perspec `tive showing the outer or free end of the said handle.

Havingr reference to the` drawings,- The belt or conveyer shown therein coni prises a continuous body-web 1, on which are woven pockets or loops 2., 2, etc., to contain the cartridges 3, 3, etc. The special characteristics and mode of production of the said body-web and pockets or loops are not material to the invention, and may vary 1n practice. In this instance, the body-web is woven solid between the pockets or loops` and beyond the end pocket or loop of the series, but for at least the length of the handle it is woven in upper and under plies or layers, as 1, 1, Figs. 3 and 1. These plies or layers are separate, except at the web-margins, where they are connected in the weaving so that this portion of the web resembles a iattened tube.

`To make the handle, the marginal por tions 1", 1 of the two plies or layers 1, la, are inwardly tucked or infolded between as shown in Figs. 3' and 4, to an extent sufficient to reduce the handle to the required width, and the four thicknesses produced thereby are secured together by lilies of stitches 1", 1c, extending lengthwise of the handle. Thereby the handle is thickened somewhat, as indicated in Fig. Q, and given a certain increased rigidity. A stitener-strip l is shown in Figs. 1, 3 and y4insc`rted between the plies or layers 1, 1a, to give greater rigidity than is secured by the infolding or inward tucking. The said stii'encr-strip is shown confined laterallyby the lines of stitches 121, and by short lines 1, 1, at its inner end. The free extremity of the Vhandle is finished ofi' by tucking inward the corresponding ends of the two plies or layers and their infolds, as indicated in Fig. 5, and securing the whole by a transverse -line of stitches le. The stiii'ener may be composed of some non-metallic material, or it may be constitute of what is known as walohn` namely steel protected by a coating of rubber. At 1f is a line of stitches run across the inner end of the handle.

veyers y upon or in the 'body-web, as well as to belts composed of Woven strips secured together by mea- 'f ,of binders or otherwise. In some cases the stiffener 4 may be omitted.

That is claimed asthe invention is,-v

1.*A machine-gun belt provided with an end-extension comprising a plurality of woven layers, strips, or plies, which are continuous with the body-portion of the belt,

with their marginali portions inwardlytucked or infolded and secured between the outer surfaces, forming a handle or leader of relatively-reduced Width.

2; A vmachine-gun belt having the body thereof of woven material and provided with a stiffened endextensin constituting a handle or leader and presenting no exposed metal.

3. `A machine-gun belt provided with an 4end-extension .comprising a plurality of woven layers, strips, or plies having. their marginal portions inwardly-tucked or 1nfolded and secured between the outer surl faces, and stiffening means also between such surfaces.

4. A machlne-gun belt having the body thereof of woven material and provided with --a flattened tubular end-extension, with por- FRANK R. BATCHELlrv`v` Witnesses: RAYMOND V. SEITZ, FRANCESA. MILLER. 

